New car registrations in Europe fell by a quarter year on year during September. However, Korean brands coped with the problems of the automotive industry, for example, Kia grew by 56.2% year-on-year.
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The European new car market continues to face the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic and, in particular, current shortage of production components, especially chips. This means that in September 2021, only 972,723 new cars were registered in Europe, 25.2% less than a year ago. This is according to statistics published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
It should be noted that the fact that last September was unusually strong in terms of registrations also spoke to a significant year-on-year decline, according to ACEA, 1,300,048 cars were registered in europe in september 2020, it was the best September since 2017, when even 1,466,243 cars were registered on the old continent. This was a consequence of the gradual release following coronavirus measures from the second quarter of 2020, when previously ordered cars were finally delivered, which customers were waiting for, for example due to production interruptions caused by the Chinese flu pandemic.
At the same time, however, current sales are strongly influenced by the current shortage of production parts. There is talk mainly of missing silicon microchips, but manufacturers also largely lack, for example, plastic granules. That’s why almost all carmakers had to stop production again this year – because cars simply have nothing to produce from. There are simply no new cars on the market. Gradually, stocks are also selling out.
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For these reasons, the vast majority of brands in September 2021 recorded a year-on-year drop in registrations. The brands of the VW Group are hit hard, the parent Volkswagen fell by 28%, Audi by 31.3% and Škoda even by 40.1%. Members of the Stellantis – Peugeot Group also fall sharply by 35.8%, and Fiat by 35.5%. And Mercedes-Benz, whose registrations fell by 49.9% year on year, is also bad.
Despite these difficulties, however, Volkswagen, with 91,147 registered cars in September 2021, remains the European leader in sales. Toyota, on the other hand, came in second, with 60,387 registrations “only” 18.5% less than a year ago. The Japanese brand is thus able to cope with the lack of production parts better than other manufacturers.
The Korean brands are in a similar situation, with Kia and Hyundai even being the only brands in the top 20 in September, for which September sales increased year-on-year. Thanks to a year-on-year jump of 56.2% to 56,090 registrations, Kia even rose to fifth place among brands. Hyundai with 52,254 registered cars follows the sixth.
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This time, Škoda fell out of the top ten. Its 38,694 registrations are at the level of Dacia, Ford and Opel / Vauxhall got in front of the Mladá Boleslav brand in September, while Fiat is still behind it.
| European market – registration of new cars in September 2021 by brand | ||||
| Pore. | Brand | Registration 9/2021 [ks] | Year-on-year difference [%] | Market share [%] |
| 1. | Volkswagen | 91.147 | -28 | 9,4 |
| 2. | Toyota | 60.387 | -18,5 | 6,2 |
| 3. | Renault | 58.731 | -30,1 | 6,0 |
| 4. | BMW | 57.118 | -16,8 | 5,9 |
| 5. | That | 56.090 | +56,2 | 5,8 |
| 6. | Hyundai | 52.254 | +5,7 | 5,4 |
| 7. | Peugeot | 48.877 | -35,8 | 5,0 |
| 8. | Mercedes-Benz | 42.696 | -49,9 | 4,4 |
| 9. | Ford | 42.350 | -46,2 | 4,4 |
| 10. | Audi | 42.100 | -31,3 | 4,3 |
| 11. | Opel/Vauxhall | 41.663 | -24,6 | 4,3 |
| 12. | Damage | 38.694 | -40,1 | 4,0 |
| 13. | Dacia | 37.664 | -13,6 | 3,9 |
| 14. | Fiat | 34.758 | -35,5 | 3,6 |
| 15. | Citroën | 33.951 | -24,0 | 3,5 |
| 16. | Seat | 30.373 | -17,3 | 3,1 |
| 17. | Nissan | 23.755 | -34,2 | 2,4 |
| 18. | Volvo | 18.235 | -38,8 | 1,9 |
| 19. | Mazda | 17.960 | -11,8 | 1,8 |
| 20. | Mini | 11.302 | -48,2 | 1,2 |
| – | TOTAL | 972.723 | -25,2 | – |
According to ACEA, after nine months of 2021, 9,161,918 cars were registered in Europe, 6.9% more than a year ago. So far, we can see strong sales from the beginning of the year, or higher than a year ago, when it fell due to covid measures. However, year-on-year growth is steadily declining with each month, so sales for the whole of this year are generally expected to be similar to last year.
However, it is the results for the previous months of the year that better indicate which brands are doing well this year. Undoubtedly, it is Toyota that, with 562,824 registrations, ranks second among brands! Better than the Japanese brand is just the hegemon of the European market, Volkswagen. Toyota is growing significantly this year, by 20.2%. BMW (+ 11.4%) and Audi (+ 11.6%) are also doing well, while their rival, Mercedes-Benz, is down 7.3% this year.
After three quarters of the year, Škoda remains in eighth place, with 473,731 registrations, a slight year-on-year growth of 1.5%. The Koreans are strong again, which proves that September was no exception. Thanks to a year-on-year jump of 24.5%, Kia is tenth, Hyundai with an increase of 24.2% just behind it.
| European market – registration of new cars in the period January-September 2021 by brand | ||||
| Pore. | Brand | Registration 1-9 / 2021 [ks] | Year-on-year difference [%] | Market share [%] |
| 1. | Volkswagen | 1.028.648 | +7,8 | 11,2 |
| 2. | Toyota | 562.824 | +20,2 | 6,1 |
| 3. | Peugeot | 558.408 | +5,9 | 6,1 |
| 4. | BMW | 533.109 | +11,4 | 5,8 |
| 5. | Renault | 506.340 | -13,5 | 5,5 |
| 6. | Mercedes-Benz | 481.795 | -7,3 | 5,3 |
| 7. | Audi | 481.035 | +11,6 | 5,3 |
| 8. | Damage | 473.731 | +1,5 | 5,2 |
| 9. | Ford | 422.887 | -11,3 | 4,6 |
| 10. | That | 387.716 | +24,5 | 4,2 |
| 11. | Hyundai | 383.429 | +24,2 | 4,2 |
| 12. | Opel/Vauxhall | 382.944 | +9,6 | 4,2 |
| 13. | Fiat | 378.449 | +8,9 | 4,1 |
| 14. | Citroën | 350.979 | +6,9 | 3,8 |
| 15. | Seat | 332.576 | +21,3 | 3,6 |
| 16. | Dacia | 299.357 | +2,8 | 3,3 |
| 17. | Volvo | 218.490 | +10,1 | 2,4 |
| 18. | Nissan | 191.552 | -9,9 | 2,1 |
| 19. | Mini | 128.182 | +3,7 | 1,4 |
| 20. | Mazda | 124.156 | +7,5 | 1,4 |
| – | TOTAL | 9.161.918 | +6,9 | – |
ACEA counts sales in 30 European countries. It complements the 25 countries of the European Union (excluding the insignificant Malta) with sales in the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland.
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